Wine is one of the gastronomic elements that defines Spain better. After a centenary tradition, we’ve achieved the creation of our personal tag with some Rioja or Albariño. Our wines are every bit as good as italian or french ones for sure!

Everyone who’s willing to visit Madrid must taste a couple of spanish wines, that’s why I dedicate this post to the art of wine, and in particular to the art of its testing process.

We’ve already spoken about En Copa de Balón, one of our obligatory stops in Madrid’s tapas route. Today I write about them again to highlight their wine cellar part and their love for wine. From time to time, they organize wine testings and I had the chance to be invited to the last one they just celebrated, where we tasted two wines from Marqués de Arviza wine cellars,the 2nd oldest in La Rioja (dated 1874).

En Copa de Balón’s somellier wecomed us in the closed and heated terrace between smartly setted up wine glasses on a few tables and accompanied by Antonio Ruiz Clavijo, Marqués de Arviza’s owner, and Fernando Chivite, wine cellar’s expert with more than 30 years of experience.

Elaborated in french oak barrel because it brings more aroma to wine than the american one.

It smells like wet soil, trufle and black pepper with a fruit touch.

On the mouth it’s wide, long and complex with fine tannin and not aggresive at all.

Burn wood final feeling.

It tolerates well the pass of time on the bottle

The second one was the most significant wine of Marqués de Arviza wine cellars, “El Tractor”, name of which keeps a family story that shows the huge tradition inspired by these cellars.

On the nose, spice notes: cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s more noticeable the french wood contribution.

On the mouth, less amplitude but more subtlety. More friendly when drinking without loosing the Rioja personality.

It comes always from the same vineyards.

After an unforgettable experience, I got the change to share wine and table with an olive oil somellier, who claimed the 95% of the olive oil we have is stale, and 3 wine connoisseurs who recommended me a couple of places I should write about. Thanks a lot to all of them also for making the night even nicer.

If you want to enjoy this experience, En Copa de Balón celebrates its next wine testing on February 20th. This time it will be based on the world famous Dom Perignon champagne marriage. To sign in, keep an eye on their Social Networks.